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Recreation Administration

The mission is to provide advanced knowledge in recreation management to prepare students for mid to upper-level management positions in recreation, parks, and tourism. The role of scholarship and focused disciplinary study is emphasized. This advanced knowledge prepares these graduates to think conceptually and analytically, and to positively impact professional practices and policies in their field.

Students enrolled focus their academic course work on developing the ability to understand and apply theories and practices in the areas of management, marketing, and finance in the public and private sectors. As a culminating experience, students in the recreation administration sequence will complete a thesis, professinoal practice, or an independent study.

Depending on individual career aspirations, completion of the recreation administration sequence prepares a student for employment in mid to upper-level administration positions in recreation, parks, or tourism agencies, and businesses. Students may also choose to pursue future graduate study at the doctoral level.

Recreation Administration Curriculum

Students admitted to the graduate recreation administration program must complete a minimum of 33 total credit hours, including 6 credit hours in the research core, 15 credit hours in the recreation administration sequence, 3-6 credit hours of an advisor-approved culminating experience, and 3-9 hours of cognate courses selected by the student and his/her appointed advisor in order to best position the student to succeed in an administrative career in the leisure services industry. This curriculum is outlined below:

Admission to the Recreation Administration Sequence

Applications for admission are first sent to the university graduate school and are then reviewed by the recreation administration faculty and the school graduate program coordinator. Admission to the program is competitive and admissions decisions are based on a variety of factors, including undergraduate grade point average, GRE scores, letters of recommendation, past work experiences, and future career goals.

The ideal candidate will have experience (internship or work experience) in a recreation and leisure setting, possess a bachelor's degree in recreation or a related field, have strong GRE test scores and undergraduate grades, have strong recommendations, and have a desire to pursue a career in the recreation and leisure service industry. To assure fullest consideration, completed applications must be filed by March 1 for fall admission. Applications will not be considered until all materials have been received.

Recommended Pattern of Coursework

If you begin the program in the fall of an ODD year, your course work will look like this:

Fall (ODD)

Spring

Summer

Fall

Spring

453

475

Cognate

Cognate

497

445

473

Culminating Exp.;
Thesis

474

466

Cognate or Ind. Study

If you begin the program in the fall of an EVEN year, your course work will look like this: